Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 31A b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For , the fixed points are zero for all and for . Their multipliers are respectively and , giving attraction for and respectively.
Remove these fixed points from the roots of . The factor gives the genuine two-cycleIts multiplier is , so it is always unstable. It collapses to zero at , the subcritical period-doubling bifurcation of zero.
The remaining equation is , whose positive roots in exist only for . At they give the fixed points , not genuine two-cycles. For , put . Since , and . There are exactly two further cycles,Their common multiplier is . They are attracting for and repelling for , with marginal multiplier at . Thus there are no cycles for , one for , and three for .
Fixed points and two-cycle points for the odd cubic map
. The nonzero fixed points emerge in a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation at one and each flips to an attracting two-cycle at two. Beyond further period doubling to four-cycles is expected, followed by additional bifurcations and potentially chaotic dynamics. This local expectation does not assert chaos for every larger parameter; periodic windows and escape are possible.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 4 32A iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For , the new fixed point in isThe origin has multiplier and is therefore unstable. At the new fixed point,HenceThe point is stable in that interval and unstable for . At its multiplier is , the threshold for a period-doubling bifurcation.
